‘Money can buy many journalists’, says Adam Tamizi as he seeks AL mayoral ticket

Adam Tamizi Haque, apparently angry at little or no media attention to his bid for the Awami League’s ticket in Dhaka North mayoral by-polls, has said money can buy journalists.

"If you have money, you can have plenty of journalists," he said when photojournalists pointed their cameras to take his photo after he bought the ruling party’s nomination form on Saturday.

Besides Tamizi, the managing director of AT Haque Limited, RMG sector entrepreneur Atiqul Islam, former MP HBM Iqbal and four others have collected the Awami League’s nomination form.

After Mayor Annisul Huq’s death on Nov 30 last year, many of the aspirants started the campaign as the Election Commission is holding the by-polls on Feb 26.

Several media published reports on Atiqul, a former president of BGMEA, describing him as the possible candidate of the Awami League.

Likewise, Tamizi also hit the streets, communicating with the people, but no major media outlet published any report or ran stories on him.

“Where were you before? Your attention is drawn to me only when I have come to collect the nomination form. Until now, you were running for Atiqul Islam and when you have realised that I am going to be the mayor you are focusing on me,” he said.    

The photojournalists, irked at his comments, put him out of focus and returned without taking any photos. No reporter went to seek his comments on the mayoral run for the Awami League’s ticket either.

“How can an indecent person like him will become mayor?” a photojournalist wondered.

bdnews24.com, however, contacted him through his mobile phone for his further explanation later in the evening but he declined to talk on the issue.

"I will not talk much because of a sore throat," he said and hung up when asked about his earlier comments.

He did not receive calls from bdnews24.com after that.